The differential cross sections \sigma_0=\sigma_T+\epsilon \sigma_L, \sigma_{LT}, and \sigma_{TT} of \pi^0 electroproduction from the proton were measured from threshold up to an additional center of mass energy of 40 MeV, at a value of the photon four-momentum transfer of Q^2= 0.05 GeV^2/c^2 and a center of mass angle of \theta=90^\circ. By an additional out-of-plane measurement with polarized electrons \sigma_{LT'} was determined. This showed for the first time the cusp effect above the \pi^+ threshold in the imaginary part of the s-wave. The predictions of Heavy Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory are in disagreement with these data. On the other hand, the data are somewhat better predicted by the MAID phenomenological model and are in good agreement with the dynamical model DMT.

A direct measurement of the helicity dependence of the total photoabsorption cross section on the proton was carried out at MAMI (Mainz) in the energy range 200 < E_gamma < 800 MeV. The experiment used a 4$\pi$ detection system, a circularly polarized tagged photon beam and a frozen spin target. The contributions to the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule and to the forward spin polarizability $\gamma_0$ determined from the data are 226 \pm 5 (stat)\pm 12(sys) \mu b and -187 \pm 8 (stat)\pm 10(sys)10^{-6} fm^4, respectively, for 200 < E_\gamma < 800 MeV.

Total and differential cross sections for the reaction gamma p -> pi^o eta p have been measured with the Crystal Ball/TAPS detector using the tagged photon facility at the MAMI C accelerator in Mainz. In the energy range E_gamma=0.95-1.4 GeV the reaction is dominated by the excitation and sequential decay of the Delta(1700)D33 resonance. Angular distributions measured with high statistics allow us to determine the ratio of hadronic decay widths \Gamma_{\eta \Delta}/\Gamma_{\pi S11} and the ratio of the helicity amplitudes A_{3/2}/A_{1/2} for this resonance.

The g p -> K^0 Sigma^+ reaction has been measured from threshold to Eg=1.45 GeV (W_cm=1.9 GeV) using the Crystal Ball and TAPS multiphoton spectrometers together with the photon tagging facility at the Mainz Microtron MAMI. In the present experiment, this reaction was searched for in the 3pi^0 p final state, by assuming K^0_S -> pi^0 pi^0 and Sigma^+ -> pi^0 p. The experimental results include total and differential cross sections as well as the polarization of the recoil hyperon. The new data significantly improve empirical knowledge about the g p -> K^0 Sigma^+ reaction in the measured energy range. The results are compared to previous measurements and model predictions. It is demonstrated that adding the present g p -> K^0 Sigma^+ results to existing data allowed a better description of this reaction with various models.

A new measurement of the rare, doubly radiative decay eta->pi^0 gamma gamma was conducted with the Crystal Ball and TAPS multiphoton spectrometers together with the photon tagging facility at the Mainz Microtron MAMI. New data on the dependence of the partial decay width, Gamma(eta->pi^0 gamma gamma), on the two-photon invariant mass squared, m^2(gamma gamma), as well as a new, more precise value for the decay width, Gamma(eta->pi^0 gamma gamma) = (0.33+/-0.03_tot) eV, are based on analysis of 1.2 x 10^3 eta->pi^0 gamma gamma decays from a total of 6 x 10^7 eta mesons produced in the gamma p -> eta p reaction. The present results for dGamma(eta->pi^0 gamma gamma)/dm^2(gamma gamma) are in good agreement with previous measurements and recent theoretical calculations for this dependence.

Three- and four-body final states with strange particles are studied in π + p and π − p interactions at 16 GeV/ c . We present cross sections and investigate their energy dependence. Production mechanism, resonance production and quantum number transfer are discussed. Strong Y ∗ (1385) production is found in the reaction π + p → Λ K + π + , while the corresponding π − p reaction is dominated by production of K ∗ (890). In the NK K π channels, the K and K are produced mainly at the same vertex, i.e. non-strangeness exchange ΔS = 0 is dominant (about 75% of the cases), whereas in the Λ K ππ channels, the Λ and K are more frequently produced at opposite vertices, i.e. | ΔS | = 1 exchange is important (about 60% of the cases). Results on the polarization of the lambdas produced in the π + p reactions are given.

A study of the reaction π + p → p π + π o at 16 GeV/ c incident momentum has been made using the prism plot analysis to reject background events arising from elastic and multineutral contaminations and to separate different reaction channels ( ϱ + p, g + p, Δ + π + , Δ ++ π o , π + (p π o ) DD ). Cross sections, invariant mass distributions and production and decay angular distributions are presented. For the channel corresponding to proton diffraction dissociation strong violation of both s - and t -channel helicity conservation is found for low values of the (p π o ) mass. We demonstrate that the prism plot method provides a better separation of background events than conventional methods using kinematic cuts.

We have analysed the reaction π + p → pπ + π + π − at 16 GeV/c by means of the prism plot analysis (PPA) as proposed by Pless et al. We have separated ten reaction channels contributing to the final state pπ + π + π − and present the results in terms of partial and differential cross sections, invariant mass and decay angular distributions. We show that the PPA is a self-controlling method which is demonstrated by the emergence of a broad (3π) + enhancement around 1800 MeV decaying into ρ 0 π + .

In a study of photoproduction at photon energies up to 5.3 GeV in a deuterium bubble chamber the reactions γ n→p π + π − π − and γ n→p π + π − π − π 0 were analyzed. In these reactions production of the resonances Δ ++ , Δ 0 , ϱ 0 , ω and A 2 − was observed. Photoproduction of strange particles was investigated and cross sections for the reactions γ n→ Λ K + π − , Σ − K 0 π + , pK − K 0 , Λ K 0 π + π − and Λ K + π − π 0 are presented. Production of Σ − (1385) and K ∗0 (890) was observed.

This report reviews the experimental investigation of high energy e + e − interactions by the MARK J collaboration at PETRA, the electron-positron colliding beam accelerator at DESY in Hamburg, Germany. The physics objectives include studies of several purely electromagnetic processes and hadronic final states, which further our knowledge of the nature of the fundamental constituents and of their strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions. Before discussing the physics results, the main features and the principal components of the MARK J detector are discussed in terms of design, function, and performance. Several aspects of the on-line data collection and the off-line analysis are also outlined. Results are presented on tests of quantum electrodynamics using e + e − → e + e − , μ + μ − and τ + τ − , on the measurement of R , the ratio of the hadronic to the point-like muon pair cross section, on the search for new quark flavors, on the discovery of three jet events arising from the radiation of hard noncollinear gluons as predicted by quantum chromodynamics, and on the determination of the strong coupling constant α s .

The inclusive reactions h+p→ φ +X, (h= π ±, ,K ± ,p ± ), are studied for 0⪅ x F ⪅0.3 and p ⊥ ⩽ 1 GeV at 93 and and 63 GeV incident momentum. Differential cross sections d σ /d p ⊥ 2 and dσ /d x F are presented and are compared with predictions of the naive parton model.

In partial wave analyses of the ( π − π − π + ) system, substantial shape changes of the 1 + S ( ϱπ ) intensity as a function of t , and relative phase changes of ≈ 90°, provide compelling evidence for a resonant A 1 of mass ≈ 1280 MeV and width ≈ 300 MeV.

The A 2 meson is studied in the decay mode ϱ 0 π − using partial wave analyses of 600 000 events from the reaction π − p→ π − π − π + p at 63 and 94 GeV incident momentum. Common production mechanisms are indicated for this resonance and diffractive 1 + and 2 − components.

The J PC = 2 −+ partial wave intensities and their large phase changes prove the resonant nature of the A 3 meson (mass ≈ 1670 MeV, width ≈ 210 MeV). The decay modes are f 0 π , ϱ 0 π , and ϵ 0 π . Evidence is found for a further 2 − enhancement.

We have observed four unambiguous decays of the charmed strange baryon Ξ c o in the NA32 experiment at CERN. Charge- coupled devices and silicon microstrip detectors were used to reconstruct the decay mode Ξ c o → pK − K ∗ (892) o seen in events produced by the interaction of 230 GeV/ c negative poins and kaons on a copper target. We present the first measurement of the lifetime of the Ξ c o , together with a determination of its mass and production cross section. The resonant components of the Ξ c o decay are studied. We use our earlier measurement of the mass of the Ξ c + in the determination of the isospin mass splitting of the Ξ c states.

We have observed six unambiguous decays of the charmed strange baryon Ξ c + (or charge conjugate Ξ c − ) in the 230 GeV/c negative pions or kaons on a copper target at the CERN SPS using silicon microstrip detectors and charge-coupled devices for vertex reconstruction. Three of them have been reconstructed through the decay chain Ξ c + → Ξ − π + π + , Ξ − → Λ 0 π − , Λ 0 → pπ − and the other three through the decay chain Ξ c + → Σ + K − π + → pπ 0 . We present our measurements of the mass, lifetime and production cross-section of the Ξ c + , as well as of the branching ration for the two decay modes.

In the CERN NA32 experiment a high-resolution silicon vertex detector and a purely topological approach were used to collect 557 events consistent with associated charm production, both decay vertices being observed. The pseudorapidity gap distribution appears to be nearly independent of the nature of the charmed hadrons. This distribution is reasonably consistent with the next-to-leading order QCD calculations. However the azimuthal-angle distribution is significantly broader than the above predictions.

We present results from the NA32 experiment at CERN on the production characteristics of the charmed baryon Λ + c in 230 GeV π − Cu and K − Cu interactions. A high resolution vertex detector consisting of change-coupled devices and silicon microstrip detectors allowed the selection of a very clean sample of 154 Λ + c → pK − π + (and charge conjugate) decays. Results on differential and integrated cross sections are given.

Diffractive production of the 3 π system has been studied at 63 and 94 GeV using a two magnet spectrometer with high, uniform acceptance. The total number of events used in the analysis is ∼600 000. The A 2 meson is shown to be diffractively produced. The existence of a resonant component in both the 1 + and 2 − enhancements is established and resonance parameters for the corresponding A 1 and A 3 mesons are given. There are several indications in the data of states which would correspond to radial excitations in the quark model.

We study the polarization with respect to the normal to the production plane for a very clean sample of 27217 Λ 0 / Λ 0 hyperons produced in 230 GeV/ c π −  Cu interactions. In general we find P(Λ 0 ) ≈ P( Λ 0 ap; 0 except for x F > 0, p T > 1GeV/ c where P ( Λ 0 ) = −0.28±0.09(stat.)±0.02(syst.).

A search has been made for the hadronic production of charmed baryons and mesons with a large aperture forward magnetic spectrometer using 150 GeV protons originating from the CERN-SPS. A prompt electron trigger was used as a signature for charm. Upper limits at 90% confidence level have been obtained for the production of Λ c + D 0 , D 0 D + and D − : σ(Λ c ) ⩽ 8 μ b , σ( D 0 ) ⩽ 64 μ b , σ( D 0 ) < 37 μ b , σ( D + ) ⩽ 51 μ b and σ( D − ) ⩽ 49 μ b per nucleon, assuming linear A dependence. Systematic errors due to uncertainties in branching ratios and to model dependence of the acceptance calculation are discussed.

Nearly 200 000 examples of the diffractive process K − p → K − π − π + p at 63 GeV have been obtained using a two magnet spectrometer equipped with Čerenkov counters for secondary particle identification. In addition some 2000 examples of the process K − p → ω K − p have been obtained. The K ππ data have been subjected to partial-wave analysis. The dominant J P = 1 + system couples to K ∗ π , in both S and D waves, ϱ K, κπ and ε K. The data confirm the existence of two J P = 1 + Q mesons and their masses, widths and branching ratios are given. The ifωK data show that the couplings of the Q mesons to ω K are approximately equal to the couplings to ϱ 0 K. The two 1 + nonets expected in the quark model are discussed in the light of this and other recent experiments. There is strong evidence for a broad J P = 0 − resonance at about 1.46 GeV. At higher masses, structure in the J P = 2 − partial waves establishes the existence of at least one J P = 2 − L meson.

Inclusive ϕ-meson production has been measured for 100 GeV/cK−,\(\bar p\) andp incident on a Be target. Differential cross sectionsdσ/dxF anddσ/dp⊥2 are presented in the interval 0.075<xF<0.225 and 0<p⊥<1 GeV/c respectively. The shape of thedσ/dxF distributions agrees with predictions from a quark fusion model. Comparison with cross sections measured on a hydrogen target in the samexF andp⊥ range suggest a linearA-dependence fromA=1 toA=9.